Hattiesburg, Mississippi - On Monday afternoon, Mayor Toby Barker was joined by Ward 2 Councilwoman Deborah Delgado and State Representative Missy McGee to announce a $120,000 grant from the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks and Federal Highway Administration.
When matched with around $70,000 of local funding through the new 1% restaurant/hotel tax, the grant will allow the City of Hattiesburg to complete a walking trail on the back side of Duncan Lake, estimated to cost just under $190,000.
State Sen. Missy McGee addresses the crowd after funding was announced to expand the Duncan Lake sidewalk.
This project is one of the 17 proposed under the new tax, approved by voters in April, and will give visitors and fishermen the ability to experience new parts of the lake, and further enhance an already abundant wildlife experience.
Hattiesburg Mayor Toby Barker announces the Duncan Lake improvement as award 2 Councilwoman Deborah Delgado listens.
“These grants from the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries & Parks are very competitive and are hard to come by,” said Barker. “In fact, a community’s chances of getting an award are less than 50:50 in a given year. It takes a team to step up and advocate for a community, and we’re grateful for our partnership with Neel-Shaffer who helped us apply for the grant and also to Representatives Missy McGee and Percy Watson for their steadfast commitment to seeing our city see progress with projects like these.”
Hattiesburg Ward 2 Councilwoman Deborah Delgado talks about funding at Duncan Lake.
This project will now move from the concept phase into the design phase, with the hope of construction beginning within the next six months.
